Florian Wirtz (#10) of Bayer Leverkusen celebrates after scoring a goal in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semifinals against AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, May 2, 2024. /CFP
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Serie A club AS Roma A 2-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semifinals at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on Thursday, extending their unbeaten streak to 47 games.
Florian Wirtz scored the first goal for Leverkusen in the 28th minute. Robert Andrich made it 2-0 for the visiting team with an unstoppable shot from outside the box in the 73rd minute.
"We fought well and showed a mature performance with a lot of discipline," Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso said after the win. "We defended closely and compactly, so we are satisfied with the performance. But the return match has not yet been played."
The two sides met in the Europa League semifinals last season when Roma knocked Leverkusen out after a 1-0 win at home and a 0-0 draw on the road. This was the Italian club's third straight appearance in the tournament's semifinal stage.
Robert Andrich (#8) of Bayer Leverkusen shoots to score in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semifinals against AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, May 2, 2024. /CFP
"It was a serious and careful match; we were smart and mature. They had their chances; the lead gave us more confidence to do our things in possession and non-possession," Alonso said. "Up front, we have fast players. In the second half, we did not concede anything; we knew if we were careful and solid, we would then have our chances. The team found the right compromise."
Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title this season with multiple games to spare and also advanced to the DFB-Pokal final, where they will meet second-tier outfit FC Kaiserslautern. The club has won only one European title in history, as they beat Espanol on penalties in the 1987-88 UEFA Cup final. In fact, they hadn't won a game in Italy since 1999, until Thursday.
"2-0 is a good result; we go home happy but cautious. What we are doing in this season is outstanding. We have quality players with a very high level of focus; the most difficult thing is to be consistent," Alonso said. "We don't want to stop – we want to go on like this until the end of the season."
In the first leg of the other semifinals of the Europa League on Thursday, Olympique de Marseille were held 1-1 by Atalanta at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France. The two second-leg games will take place on May 9.